This invention relates to archery and archery hunting, and particularly to quivers which are used to store or transport arrows used in archery or archery hunting. It is well known in the sports of archery and hunting that the sportsman""s goal is to shoot arrows in straight flight and to repeatedly hit the target accurately. In order to achieve this goal, an archer""s arrows must be in the best possible condition.
Generally, arrows have a long, straight shaft, a pointed tip at one end, a notch at the opposite end, and fletchings adjacent the notch at the opposite end. During storage and transportation, if the arrows are allowed to shift so as to come in contact with each other or in contact with other objects, or if the arrows are allowed to become exposed to the elements of nature, damage to the arrows can occur. The shaft can become warped, bowed, or even cracked or broken. The tips can be dulled, and the fletchings, which are delicate and critical to the arrows"" flight performance, can be damaged.
In addition to the above described major damages which can be visited on the elements of the arrow when not protected during e.g. ground transportation, any of the elements of the arrow can be scratched, dented, or otherwise experience visibly minor damage, but damage which changes the flight characteristics of the arrow enough to make a difference in satisfaction of the archer who uses such arrow. Since the archer is relying on known flight characteristics of the arrow, any deviation from such flight characteristics jeopardizes the achievement of hitting the intended target at the intended location.
Thus, it is known that it is desirable to protect arrows from incidental environmental damage to the arrows before such time as the arrows are used for shooting purposes. It is known, for example, to protect the arrows from such incidental damage by securing the arrows in a spaced apart relationship at both the point end and the notch end.
It is also known to provide quivers which totally enclose the arrows, thereby protecting the arrows from the elements of nature. However, such known quivers provide only limited access to the arrows.
There is thus a need for a quiver which can protect the arrows from incidental damage prior to the arrows being used for shooting, which can optionally shield the arrows from the ambient environment, and yet which provides easy access to the arrows in close quarters.
It is an object of the invention to provide a quiver which has a plurality of arrow-holding cells wherein the cells can pivot from a closed configuration wherein the quiver encloses and protects the arrows to an open configuration wherein enclosing side walls of the cells are disposed in facing relationships with each other.
It is another object of the invention to provide a quiver which has a plurality of arrow-holding cells wherein the cells can pivot from a closed configuration wherein the quiver encloses and protects the arrows to an open configuration wherein free edges of the cells are disposed closely adjacent each other.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a quiver which has a plurality of arrow-holding cells wherein the cells can pivot from a closed configuration wherein the quiver encloses and protects the arrows to an open configuration wherein the open walls provide access to the arrows about substantially a full circle defined about a longitudinal axis of the quiver, and whereby a user can retrieve an arrow from the quiver from virtually any angle perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a quiver which has a plurality of arrow-holding cells wherein, from a closed configuration wherein the quiver encloses and protects the arrows, the quiver can pivot at least one of the cells about at least one of the hinges to collectively expose the open walls of cells of the quiver collectively about greater than 180 degrees of a circumference of an open configuration of the quiver, and wherein the arrow holders hold the arrows in the quiver against unintended falling out, at any orientation of the quiver while the open walls collectively define greater than 180 degrees of such circumference.
The present invention is a quiver which protects arrows from damage caused by contact with each other, or contact with the elements of nature or the surrounding environment, during storage, transportation, or use, and which provides convenient accessibility to the arrows. The quiver is comprised of arrow-holding cells, each holding preferably one arrow, and each closed along a top wall, a bottom wall, and one or more longitudinal closure sides, as well as having one or more open side walls. The cells collectively define the quiver. The cells are mounted for pivotation with respect to each other, with longitudinally extending hinges. Quivers of the invention have an enclosing configuration, and an open configuration, preferably a plurality of potential open configurations. In some embodiments, closure side walls have free edges which are adjacent each other, or closure side walls bearing free edges are adjacent each other. In some embodiments, in open configuration, open walls provide access to arrows about substantially a full circle about the longitudinal axis of the quiver. In some embodiments, again in open configuration, the quiver exposes more than 180 degrees of open wall, and arrow holders hold the arrows against unintended falling out at any orientation of the quiver.
In a first family of embodiments, the invention comprehends a quiver for holding arrows. The quiver comprises a plurality of arrow-holding cells. Each cell comprises a top wall having a top wall perimeter, and a bottom wall having a bottom wall perimeter. Respective cells comprise (i) a cell perimeter generally extending along a length of the cell and between the top wall perimeter and the bottom wall perimeter, (ii) at least one longitudinally-extending enclosing side wall enclosing at least a first side of the cell perimeter, and comprising greater than 90 degrees about the perimeter of the respective cell, (iii) at least one open wall defining at least a second side of the cell perimeter comprising at least about 60 degrees about the perimeter of the respective cell, and (iv) arrow holder apparatus effective to hold an arrow against unintended transverse movement. The quiver further comprises hinges connecting the cells serially to each other such that the cells can pivot with respect to each other about the hinges. The side walls and hinges are configured and arranged with respect to each other such that the cells can collectively define an enclosing arrangement whereby the enclosing side walls and hinges define a generally closed container configuration enclosing the arrow holder apparatus therein, including unhinged longitudinal free edges of first and second ones of the cells in proximal relationship with respect to each other, and such that the cells can collectively pivot about the hinges thereby to bring respective ones of the enclosing side walls toward a central portion of the quiver, and to correspondingly face respective ones of the open walls outwardly from the central portion of the quiver, in a fully reversed and open container configuration of the quiver wherein (v) ones of the enclosing side walls bearing the free edges of the first and second cells are disposed in facing relationship with each other and/or (vi) the free edges are disposed closely adjacent each other.
In preferred embodiments, the cells can collectively pivot about the hinges thereby to bring respective ones of the enclosing side walls toward a central portion of the quiver and can correspondingly face respective ones of the open walls outwardly from the central portion of the quiver, in a fully reversed configuration, defined about a longitudinal axis of the reversed configuration quiver.
In preferred embodiments, the arrow holding cells collectively define a common arrow-holding cavity when the quiver is in the closed container configuration.
Also in preferred embodiments, the arrow holding cells define separate and distinct arrow-holding receptacles when the quiver is in the open-container configuration.
Still further to preferred embodiments, the quiver comprises biasing structure biasing the pivoting of the cells with respect to each other such that such pivoting comprises both stable and unstable relationships of the respective cells with respect to each other, and wherein the biasing structure automatically urges the cells to move toward the stable relationships and away from the unstable relationships.
In preferred embodiments, the open-container configuration and the closed configuration define a common set of outer length dimensions and transverse cross-section dimensions of the quiver.
Also with respect to preferred embodiments, the arrow holder apparatus is arranged, positioned, and configured so as to hold the arrow between the top wall and the bottom wall, and aligned with a longitudinal axis of the quiver, thus to limit longitudinal movement of such arrow.
In a second family of embodiments, the invention comprehends such plurality of arrow-holding cells, respective cells comprising the cell perimeter, the at least one longitudinally-extending enclosing side wall, the at least one open wall, the arrow holder apparatus, and the hinges, such that the cells can pivot with respect to each other, as well as the side walls and hinges being so configured, and arranged with respect to each other such that the cells can collectively define an enclosing arrangement whereby the enclosing side walls and hinges define a generally closed container configuration enclosing the arrow holder apparatus therein, and such that the cells can collectively pivot about the hinges thereby to bring respective ones of the enclosing side walls toward a central portion of the quiver, and to correspondingly face respective ones of the open walls outwardly from the central portion of the quiver, in a fully reversed and open container configuration of the quiver, defined about a longitudinal axis of the reversed configuration quiver, and wherein, in such fully reversed and open-container configuration, the open walls provide access to such arrows held in the arrow holder apparatus, about substantially a full circle defined about the longitudinal axis, whereby a user can retrieve an arrow from the quiver from virtually any angle perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
In a third family of embodiments, the invention comprehends such plurality of arrow-holding cells, respective cells comprising the cell perimeter, the at least one longitudinally-extending enclosing side wall, the at least one open wall, the arrow holder apparatus, and the hinges, such that the cells can pivot with respect to each other, as well as the side walls and hinges being so configured, and arranged with respect to each other such that the cells can collectively define an enclosing arrangement whereby the enclosing side walls and hinges define a generally closed container configuration enclosing the arrow holder apparatus therein, and such that the cells can collectively pivot about the hinges thereby to open the quiver about at least one of the hinges to collectively expose one or more of the open walls as a portion of a perimeter of the quiver, and wherein the arrow holders hold the arrows in the quiver against unintended falling out, at any orientation of the quiver while the open walls collectively define any portion of the perimeter of the quiver.